Israel ‘intends to take control of Gaza’, says Netanyahu, but has no plans to ‘govern’ it

“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas,” he added.

Netanyahu further clarified that Israel has no long-term plans to rule Gaza: “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.”

Hours after, Netanyahu’s comment, Hamas accused Netanyahu of orchestrating a “coup” against the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

In a statement, the group said Netanyahu’s recent comments reveal his intention to sabotage mediation efforts and prolong the war to serve his own political survival. “Netanyahu is working to end the hostage file through a military solution, not negotiation, with the aim of getting rid of the hostages and sacrificing them for personal and political interests,” the statement read, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu, has convened a security cabinet on Thursday to discuss the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, which aid agencies have warned would lead to countless more Palestinian deaths and further mass displacement.

New ground operation

Israeli media, citing officials speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that Netanyahu is seeking cabinet approval for what could amount to a full military occupation of Gaza, though officials are reportedly framing it as a limited campaign to ease internal opposition within the Israeli military, The Guardian reported.

Citing unnamed government sources, Israeli outlets say the plan involves deploying ground forces into the remaining 25% of Gaza that has not yet been decimated by months of bombardment. These zones have become refuge for a large portion of the enclave’s more than 2 million residents, The Guardian report further added.

According to Channel 12, the proposed two-phase operation would centre on seizing control of Gaza City while evacuating roughly one million people – half of Gaza’s population – from the area. The move is being described as a “temporary measure” to allow Israel to establish a civilian infrastructure in central Gaza that would not be governed by Hamas.

Israeli soldiers are seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

This comes as close to 200 Palestinians — nearly half of them children — have died from starvation in Gaza since the war began, Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry also reported that Israel’s ongoing assault has killed more than 61,000 people in the enclave so far.

Nearly 87 per cent of Gaza is now either under evacuation orders or designated a military zone, according to UN estimates, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into overcrowded refugee camps. UN agencies warn this has created the conditions for a man-made famine, with starvation accelerating across the enclave.

While Israel continues to deny that starvation exists in Gaza, it has backed the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and permitted airdrops of aid into the territory. But UN experts are calling for the GHF’s dismantling, citing UN figures that at least 859 people have been killed around its distribution sites since operations began.